SXSW

I'm sure you all already know about SXSW.. it's kind of hard to miss. Either you dived in and enjoyed all of the live music, or you got the heck out of town to avoid the massive hordes of people that descend upon Austin during this week. There are wristbands for sale every year for local Austinites to purchase, there are also many free shows going on for those of us who don't want to spend any money. Red Gorilla is one example of a free series of shows that goes on during SXSW.

Website

Kite Festival

We've been neglecting this blog for a while, but now we're back! On Sunday we stopped by the annual Austin Kite Festival at Zilker Park. This festival is held every year on the first Sunday in March. Basically everyone hits the park with a kite, and there are also a few contests and such. You don't have to fly a kite, though- you can just go and watch. It's great to look up and see the sky filled with kites.

Website

Location

Capital City Comedy Club

Cap City Comedy Club attracts some pretty awesome comedians to Austin. Some big names that have recently graced Cap City with their presence are D.L. Hughley and Joe Rogan. We came to the club to see Mike MacRae of FrankTV. The show was hilarious, we laughed through the entire thing. The two comedians who opened for MacRae were also surprisingly really good, we enjoyed then almost as much as MacRae. One was a guy who worked for Cap City, the other was Paul Oddo. The club has a 2 menu item minimum. The food is pretty blah, so we recommend sticking with 2 drinks.

A clip of Mike MacRae on Letterman:

Website

Location

South Congress

The best place to go for a stroll and window shop in Austin is South Congress. All of the shops are unique, funky and interesting. You can also take a break and pick up coffee, ice cream, a cupcake or a bite to eat at numerous restaurants & shops. Anytime the weather is nice you'll also find vendors selling jewelry, artwork or other handmade goods at outdoor stalls. Any day that you want to get out but don't know what to do, So Co is a foolproof plan. Don't forget to check out First Thursday (the first Thursday evening of every month) on South Congress, which we'll blog about soon.. the street comes alive with vendors & performers, and all the stores stay open late.

About

Directory of Stores

First Thursday Blog

Playing Tennis in Austin

Okay, the tennis court pictured above isn't actually in Austin.

We've been trying to be more active lately, especially since most of what we do during the week consists of sitting on our asses. Winter in Texas is the best time to get really active- when it's in the 50s or 60s during the day you can run around all you want and not get totally drenched in sweat. We picked up some cheap racquets and balls at Target and scoped out the awesome tennis court map on the Capital Area Tennis Association website. Write down the addresses of at least 2 or 3 open public courts in your neighborhood, cause the first one we tried was locked on the weekend.

Website

Harry Ransom Center

The Ransom Center has the most unique & rare exhibits in all of Austin. They've got a copy of the Gutenberg Bible, only 5 complete copies exist in the U.S. They also have the world's first photograph. Other items of note include drawings or sketches by Cezanne, Picasso, and other famous artists. My favorite was a self-portrait of Picasso on the inside of a book cover, it was a simple face drawn in primary colors.

Website

Location

Barsana Dham

Barsana Dham is a Hindu Temple about 30 minutes outside of Austin. It's a beautiful, peaceful spot, and visitors are welcome, as long as you check their website for their specific visiting hours, and don't wear shoes or take photos inside the building.

Website

Location

Trail of Lights

The Trail of Lights is an Austin tradition. It's 1.25 miles of Christmas displays and lights in Zilker Park. It may almost give you a seizure, but it sure is a fun walk. Lots of cute stuff for kids, too. Go between 7 and 10 PM, and get there by the 23rd because that's the last day.

Website

Map

Toy Joy

For fun, quirky gifts or stocking stuffers, check out Toy Joy. It's an Austin landmark, and has just about the most unique gifts you're going to find. Get off your butt and do some last minute shopping! They're open until 11 on weekdays and midnight on the weekend.

Website

Location

Highland Lanes

We've been meaning to go bowling here for a long time, since it's not far from where we live. It's a basic, nice bowling alley with lots of lanes... perfect for the amateur bowler. For the best deal, come on Sunday night between 8 PM and midnight: bowling is $9 per person for unlimited bowling, and that includes shoe rental and a free bowl of popcorn.

Website

Location

Thanksgiving

Exploring Austin will not be exploring Austin for the coming week. If you'll be in town, here are a few things going on that you may or may not want to miss:

Alamo Drafthouse showing a bunch of movies accompanied by Thanksgiving Dinner

Yoga in the Park on Thanksgiving Day

Operation Turkey needs volunteers to help hand out 8,500 pounds of food to the homeless on Thanksgiving

See U2 in 3D at the IMAX theater

See Pop Noir at Mohawk

18th annual Turkey Trot in Waterloo Park, benefiting Caritas

East Austin Studio Tour

Happening this weekend!! A tour all over East Austin to see various artwork by local artists. Best of all, it's FREE! Check their website for all the dozens of locations.

Website

St. Edward's Park

We decided to check out St. Edward's Park while the weather still so nice. It's a small park, the entire trail is maybe 2 miles. On Sunday afternoon there were very few other people there. It's pretty, peaceful, and a nice easy hike/walk.

Website

Location

Kayaking on Ladybird Lake

This was so much fun that I want to call in sick tomorrow and go again.The kayaks we rented were simple, beginner's kayaks. It was an amazing experience. We saw all kinds of wildlife... turtles, fish, tons of different birds including Blue Herons and Egrets. Keep in mind, this is only a few miles from downtown!

Mom & Dad kayaking past a limestone cliff:

A Blue Heron, as we slowly approached:

Whoops, scared him off...

We rented our kayaks from Rowing Dock, and the prices were pretty good. To rent a 2-person kayak for 1 hour is $15, but they've got a coupon on their website that allows you to get a second hour for free! So it's really $15 for two hours of kayak rental. And of course, that includes life vests. Another cool thing is that they have season passes for $99, so if you plan to come a lot, that's a great option.

Website

Location

Mt. Bonnell

Mt. Bonnell Park has an amazing views of Lake Austin and the hills. I could sit here all day.

View of the Pennybacker Bridge from Mt. Bonnell, which is an Austin landmark. See some other great photos taken at Bonnell on Google images.

Location

Fun Fun Fun Fest

Don't miss the annual Fun Fun Fun Festival this weekend. I don't think we'll make it, my parents will be in town and it's not exactly a parent type of activity! This music festival is from Nov. 8-9 and includes various indie rock, punk/hardcore, and hip hop/dj music on three stages.

Website